The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday July 9, 2008 - 17 School reaches gold status in one year Strawberry fans Continued from page 13 dents at the 400-pupil elementary school. The EcoSchools certification process indicates certified EcoSchools use less energy than noncertified schools. The Ontario EcoSchools program has been designed for school boards to incorporate environmental education and an environmentally responsible action into the school setting. The program also provides teachers with environmental education resource units designated for classroom use, as well as guides that promote individual initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It aligns what is taught in class with how the school is operated. The four pillars of the program are waste minimization, energy conservation, school ground greening and ecological literacy. It also aims to influence youths during an important period of their lives, and encourage children to take a culture of conservation home with them. "We have collaborated with the public school board this year on countless occasions to join the Eco schools program. The reason our gold status is so significant is that we were able to achieve this within our first year of participating. The program has been building rapidly every year and the public school board definitely has begun this "This is an amazing achievement as this is our first year participating in the program. We are very proud of all of the efforts of our students, staff and parent community." Nancy Guerin, teacher St. Matthew School process ahead of us, however with their lead and sharing of ideas and professional development we have managed to learn from their process and set high goals for ourselves. The students have learned from the program. Guerin said one of the Grade 8 students at the school recently brought her an environmentally appropriate gift. "She had bought me a re-usable grocery bag and rolled it up with a ribbon on it ... The note, read, `Thank you very much ... this year has been the best in my life. A lot has to do with the Eco Team. I believe in myself and that we can make changes in this world." "Those words touched my heart. I know that this environmental program is not just about changing our habits, it is about believing in change. The life-long lessons we have learned this year are truly amazing," said Guerin. CHRIS KORNACKI / OAKVILLE BEAVER SOCIAL TIME: Dorine Tracey (left) and Betty Dowinton. enjoy their treats at the annual Stawberry Social presented by Acclaim Health and the Oakville-Trafalgar Rotary Club at the Glen Abbey Recreation Center on Sunday July 6, 2008. 101 Wing Flavours Ad nis Wild Wing Oakville East 2051 Winston Park Dr. Building F (Across from the AMC Theatres) New In Oakville Oakville ON 905.829.5009 Serving Halibut & Chips and a large variety of Seafood Platters Ad nis Bring in this Ad and receive a FREE $10 Gift Card bestchickenwings.com 905-849-4944 497 Pinegrove Rd., Oakville www.adonisrestaurant.701.com 905-257-8088